How to fix Galaxy S9 voice calling issue: caller or answer screen comes up very slowly

One of the issues we cover in today’s troubleshooting article is on how to fix a particular voice calling issue on the #GalaxyS9. If you have some texting or voice calling issues, try to check this post for solutions.

Problem #1: T-Mobile Galaxy S9 long SMS has VIEW ALL option to show the entire message

Hi. I have the same issue as Kylee R from your “How to fix Galaxy S9 with texts that are not in order, can’t see a long SMS unless View More button is tapped” post on 5/22/18, except it’s a new Galaxy S9+ and I purchased it directly from T-Mobile. Basically in the stock/Samsung Messages app (version 5.0.21.18), if I send or receive a long text message, it doesn’t display the full message; the top part is displayed and the remainder cannot be viewed without tapping “VIEW ALL” which “opens” the full message in a new screen. I’ve checked the settings, but there’s nothing to change the way messages are displayed. And I’d rather not download a third party messaging app. Suggestions?

Solution: We currently don’t have a T-Mobile S9 to check if the issue is limited to this carrier-branded phone but it’s probably how it should be. What we have is an international version of S9 and S9 Plus and we can confirm it’s absent from such model. Like you, we don’t think T-Mobile firmware has a feature that should allow you change how messages are displayed. You’re probably stuck with what you have but we suggest that you contact T-Mobile support and ask. A situation like this is more of a design “flaw” rather than a bug so make sure to raise it up with T-Mobile’s support team so they can make a ticket and hopefully forward your concern to their developer team.

Problem #2: Galaxy S9 lost custom SMS notifications for contacts after update

Contact personalised text alerts have gone… Since the last big update a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that the text alerts I set for each of my favourite contacts stopped working. I opened up the contact and went to reassign each contact its own sound/music, and the option to do it has disappeared from the list. Is this a bug that will be fixed or has it been permanently removed?

Solution: With the latest Android iteration (Android Oroe), Samsung has apparently removed support for custom SMS alerts assigned for a particular contact in their stock Messages app. This limitation only applies for Samsung Messages app so if you really want to have the custom SMS alerts back, we suggest that you use another text messaging app like Google’s Android Messages or any other apps.

Samsung has not indicated whether or not they’re bringing back support for custom notifications for their Messages app. Let’s see what happens when the next update comes.

Problem #3: Galaxy S9 missing banner notifications for text messaging app

So I’ve owned this phone for around 2 weeks, and I can’t figure out how to get screen notifications when I receive text messages. I’ve tried every possible solution I can find online and think of, individual app settings, system notification settings, every section of the settings menu I’ve explored and nothing! Other apps like Facebook Messenger and Instagram all give screen banner notifications. I receive a sound and the green dot appears on the app icon, but I never get a banner notification which I find annoying since I often have my phone on silent. Any help would be appreciated so much I hope it’s an easy fix!

Solution: If you’re positive that you’ve already enabled all notification settings under Settings and under the app’s settings menu, then the missing feature is probably not supported. App makers may or may not support new features like the one you’re not getting. If you can’t live without banner notifications, try other text messaging apps to see if they support it.

Problem #4: How to fix Galaxy S9 voice calling issue: caller or answer screen comes up very slowly

My phone has a very annoying delay in bringing up the caller info/answer screen when I receive a call. If I receive a call, it might ring/vibrate 5-6 times before bringing up the screen so I can answer it. And, heaven forBID if I’m using other apps on the phone when I receive a call. The answer screen may not come up at all. My husband thinks I’m crazy because, when we did a test so I could show him what it was doing, it worked perfectly fine. (Uggh!). I’ve attempted restarting the phone several times, closing down unused apps and even deleting some apps I infrequently use. Any ideas what might be causing this problem? And if there’s a workaround? (for example: using speech commands to answer the phone?)

Solution: These are the troubleshooting steps that you can try:

Clear data of Phone app

There may be an issue with the Phone app you’re using. Try clearing its cache or data and see what happens.

To clear an app’s data:

Open Settings app.
Tap Apps.
Tap on More settings at the upper right (three-dot icon).
Select Show system apps.
Find the Phone app and tap it.
Tap Storage.
Tap Clear Data button.
Restart your S9 and check for the problem.

See how calling works on Safe Mode

Another troubleshooting step that you can do is to restart the phone to safe mode. In this mode, all third party apps and services will be blocked, leaving only preinstalled ones to work. If the problem is caused by one of your downloaded apps, voice calling should work normally on safe mode.

To boot to safe mode:

Turn the device off.
Press and hold the Power key past the model name screen.
When “SAMSUNG” appears on the screen, release the Power key.
Immediately after releasing the Power key, press and hold the Volume down key.
Continue to hold the Volume down key until the device finishes restarting.
Safe mode will display in the bottom left corner of the screen.
Release the Volume down key when you see Safe Mode.
Once the phone is on safe mode, try to replicate the issue to see if there’s any change.

Remember, safe mode is a tool to help you determine if there’s any issue with a third party app. However, it won’t help you pinpoint what particular app is causing it. To identify which of your apps is causing the trouble, you should boot the phone back to safe mode and follow these steps:

Boot to safe mode.
Check for the problem.
Once you’ve confirmed that a third party app is to blame, you can start uninstalling apps individually. We suggest that you begin with the most recent ones you added.
After you uninstall an app, restart the phone to normal mode and check for the problem.
If your S9 is still problematic, repeat steps 1-4.

Restore all software information to defaults

If the first two troubleshooting steps won’t resolve the issue at all, you should consider wiping the phone and returning its software to its defaults. There may be some settings that need to be changed back to their factory state, or an unknown software bug that prevents Android from working normally.

Before you wipe your phone, be sure to back important user data. If you don’t use cloud services to back your files up, we suggest that you try Samsung Smart Switch. This will allow you to create an image of your phone. If you haven’t heard of Smart Switch before, make sure to visit this page: How to create backup from Samsung device to your computer via Smart Switch.

Once you’ve created a backup, follow these steps to factory reset your S9:

Turn off the device.
Press and hold the Volume Up key and the Bixby key, then press and hold the Power key.
When the green Android logo displays, release all keys (‘Installing system update’ will show for about 30 – 60 seconds before showing the Android system recovery menu options).
Press the Volume down key several times to highlight ‘wipe data / factory reset’.
Press Power button to select.
Press the Volume down key until ‘Yes — delete all user data’ is highlighted.
Press Power button to select and start the master reset.
When the master reset is complete, ‘Reboot system now’ is highlighted.
Press the Power key to restart the device.